Growing Up
by Saphire Moon Maiden
Summary: This fanfic is about how Zuko's life would be like had he gone with his mother when she was banished. It has Katara and Sokka growing up. Zutara. DISCONTINUED
1. Prolougue

* * *

This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her and it has some Katara and Sokka growing up in it too maybe later there will be a little Zutara ;)

**This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her. Zuko starts off in this story at age 6. Katara is 4. Sokka is 6. Azula is 4. Aang and Toph are not in this story but if anyone reviews saying they would like either of them in it then I will try to include them!**

* * *

In the dark, bleak majesty of the Fire Lord's throne room, Ursa stood, head bowed to receive her punishment for refusing to let her son be killed by his own father.

"What is my punishment?" humbly inquired Ursa.

"Banishment!" boomed Fire Lord Ozai. "You can bring anything you can fit in this." He tossed her a large suitcase about 5 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet deep.

* * *

"Zuko!" Ursa cried as she ran through the vast halls of the palace. "Where are you Zuko?"

A yawning Zuko drowsily walked around the corner of the corridor. "What is it mom?" he yawned.

"Your father banished me from the kingdom. Do you want to come with me or stay here with your father and Azula?" Ursa asked.

"I want to go with you mommy! Daddy and Azula don't care about me. Daddy said Azula was born lucky but I was lucky to be born." Zuko sobbed.

"Ok Zuko, get your earth kingdom dagger, you know, the one you got from your uncle Iroh," said Ursa. "We need it to punch some air holes in this big suitcase. Also Zuko, get some of your clothes and I will get some of mine along with some basic necessities we need to start this… venture."

* * *

"It's so dark in here" Zuko whispered to himself. He remembered what had happened a few hours ago…

"_Get in" Said Ursa. _

"_But Mom" Zuko did not like the idea of getting into the suitcase now with cleverly disguised air holes in it punched by his prize dagger._

"Get in!_" Ursa said a bit more sternly._

_Zuko reluctantly obliged. He snuggled down into the mounds of clothes and bandages, and sighed. There was a compartment above him that held some medicine, food, canteens, and a bit of money. Soon he fell asleep._

* * *

At the time that Zuko was climbing into his mother's suitcase, a small four year old girl named Katara and her older brother Sokka were hiding in a freezing ice cave along with everyone else in her tribe. Everyone in her tribe was there except for the warriors. The warriors were all fighting for their lives back at the village.

Katara was scared. Her brother Sokka was scared too but he would never admit it. Both their mother and father were fighting the fire nation in what the water tribe would later call 'The War of Frozen Flames'.

Suddenly, just over the horizon, Katara saw Jiro, the youngest, agilest, warrior come walking across the pure white snow with a triumphant grin plastered on his face. Katara shrieked in delight and ran to Jiro filled to the brim with questions.

"Did you win? Did anyone get hurt? Did anyone die? Did the fire nation soldiers swim to their ship like startled fish?" Katara burst out.

"Yes, Yes, No, Sort of" Jiro answered. "Come follow me and I will show you the wreck the Fire Nation has commetid on our village. The women will need to take care of the wounded. Come."

Everyone funneled slowly out of the small mouth of the ice cave.

* * *

Back at the village the women of the tribe set up tents. The once great houses of the Southern Water Tribe were either melted or smashed and were now just piles of ice and snow.

Many were wounded and some died through the freezing cold night.

* * *

Katara's mother called her over to her side the next morning and told her "Close your eyes my precious and hold out your hand, I have a present for you".

Katara closed her pretty sapphire blue eyes and held out her smooth caramel skinned hand. Her mother put something silky in it. Her mother's hand suddenly turned cold as ice, the cold of death. She had lost too much blood and what she had left was freezing in her veins.

Katara sobbed uncontrollably and screamed "MOM! MOM PLEASE COME BACK!"

Grangran appeared at the door and gasped. "My child, my daughter" she cried.

Katara's father appeared and once he saw his wife he broke out in tears. It scared Katara to see a grown man, especially a strong leader like Hakoda sobbing his heart out.

She ran to her father and showed him Mother's last gift. "Mommy gave me her necklace Daddy!" She said softly.

Just then Sokka ran in. "What happened here Katara?" He asked.

Everyone turned tear-streaked toward him. "She d-died" They all sobbed in unison.

"No," Sokka whispered. "MOM" he screamed.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME HOW I DID ON MY FIRST FANFIC! FLAMES ARE WELCOME I ALWAYS WANT TO IMPROVE!**

**Saphire Moon Maiden**


	2. The Arrival

This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her

**Thank you to my reviewers:**

whiteoak-alina united

TurtleBaby43

wicked thru and thru

avataraddict

daveshan

NorthernLights25

* * *

Out on an ocean liner out in the middle off the ocean…

"Zuko" whispered Ursa "You can come out now but be quiet. I will get you something to eat and drink."

"Where are we going Mom?" Zuko asked groggily.

"To the Southern Water Tribe," Ursa replied. "Hurry, change into these clothes. This is what a young water tribe boy of your age would wear in the Southern Water Tribe. We are coming there as refugees from the Northern Water Tribe. We are on one of their primitive boats made out of wood and animal hide."

"Why are we going to the Southern Water Tribe, and where did we get this boat?" asked Zuko. "We are Fire Nation! Not Water Tribe!"

"Well, you know I have a big collection of Water Tribe Things? I just love the way the Water Tribesmen can make something so beautiful out of well, anything!" said Ursa dreamily. "Well back to the point. I had some clothes and this beautiful boat in my collection. I got them as spoils of war. And we are not part of the Fire Nation anymore Zuko. Remember? I was banished and you were too when you came with me. You must never _ever _tell anyone that you are prince of the Fire Nation. And _never_ show anyone the firebending skills that you know are coming to you."

"Okay Mom, I won't" said Zuko.

* * *

Back at the village dawn was breaking…

As Katara watched the seas calmly she saw a ship. She shrieked with excitement and ran back to the village shouting all the while "I see a ship! I see a ship! Who could it be? I see a ship!"

Sokka stopped her at the snow fort that he had just made and whispered "Careful Katara you might knock down my fortress!"

"Ok Sokka!" She yelled.

A piece of the snow fort slid off the side of the main tower. "Katara, I told you to be careful!" Sokka whined.

She shrugged and continued running and shouting toward the village.

Getting there, she was pelted with questions. "Was it water tribe? Was it big? Was it small?"

"Well, your about to find out cuz here they come!" Katara called out above the rising voices of the questioning villagers.

All the heads of the villagers turned toward the growing speck on the horizon. The village was silent except for the occasional cry of a baby or a questioning whisper. The speck turned into something more ship-shaped and colors were able to be distinguished instead of just blackness.

* * *

Light poured in through the suitcase lid as it was opened and his mother's face was revealed. "Zuko, you can get out now but try not to muss your hair anymore, I need to fix it to make you more presentable." Ursa told him.

"Ok Mom, just don't make my hair all come out!" Zuko exclaimed.

"As long as you don't fidget I'll do it without hurt, or at least without a _lot _of hurt," assured Ursa.

Ursa took out a whalebone comb that she had had in her water tribe collection, and a pair of shears that she had snitched from the hairdressers before she left.

"Zuko dear, I will need to cut your hair a little; it is too long because you were growing it out to put it in a topknot. People in the water tribe don't have topknots. They have their hair sheared short if they are boys." Ursa explained.

"Hmm… well I hate my long hair anyways – too itchy on my neck and heavy on my head" said Zuko.

Ursa quickly cut his hair saying "It's not as good as the royal hairdressers can do but it will suffice."

After his mother cut it she grabbed his arm and dragged him up to the deck.

"Wow!" Zuko said when he saw the moonlight reflecting off the ice. A small group of people stood waiting for them. They were people of all ages. A small girl who looked about four was staring at him through large, innocent, blue eyes. She looked curios like she had never seen someone who looked quite like him before.

* * *

Katara saw a pretty lady drag her young son onto the deck of the boat. _He has amber eyes,_ she thought. _How strange. _He had a head of black hair that looked like it was freshly shorn. He looked at her strangely and she turned red. _Was I staring at him? _She asked herself. _Ooops! _

Katara ran to the docks leaving everyone else dumbstruck by the strange visitors' arrival. Grabbing a rope, she tied it tightly to a thick metal loop lodged deep in the ice. She took the rest of the rope, rolled it up and tossed it out to the ship. _The boy caught it! _She started pulling the boat in, using her small limbs to pull the ship across the water.

* * *

Zuko watched the girl break apart from the group and run to the docks. She took a coil of rope out of the wooden box by her side and tied one end to a shiny metallic thing sticking out of the ice. She wrapped the remaining rope around her forearm, part of it between her thumb and forefinger and the rest behind her elbow.

She took the coil of rope and threw it toward the ship. It whizzed by his ear and instinctively, he caught it and held it tightly. She started pulling it in and he did the same, pulling on his part of the rope hand over hand while she tried her best to steer the ship to the icy docks.

Finally it got there and she untied the rope from the metal thing and retied it to keep the boat in harbor. "I'm Katara" she said, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Zuko" he held out his hand and she took it, giving it a firm shake.

"How old are you?" she asked. "I'm four."

"I'm six" Zuko answered.

"Your eyes are very pretty, they remind me of the sunset" she said.

"Thanks," said Zuko, awkwardly "Your eyes remind me of the ocean on a calm day" _Or the moon, _He added to himself.

* * *

_He looks nervous, hasn't he ever seen a girl before? Maybe he has, but perhaps they never talked to him as straightforwardly as I do. _Katara mused.

"Do you want to be friends?" She asked.

"Um…" he looked at his mother and she nodded as if to urge him on. "Ok"

Katara grabbed his hand and ran to her fellow tribesmen. "This is Zuko and he is my new best friend!" she exclaimed.

**Review please I won't post another chapter past my disclaimer until I get at least 5 reviews! I will be working on another one though!**

**-Feed a man a fish he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime!**

**--Saphire Moon Maiden**


	3. Disclaimer!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own avatar and I probably never will. Need I say more?

If I owned ATLA I would think I was super smart, really cool, and awesomish. But I don't sob so I won't.


	4. A legend of Old and an Igloo

This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her

**Thank you to my reviewers,**

wicked thru and thru

whiteoak-alina united

NorthernLights25

AvatarAiris

**I only got 4 more reviews but I'm posting anyways! enjoy and please review!**

Zuko turned red when Katara introduced him as her 'new best friend'. He had never had a 'best friend' but did his first have to be a _girl_? He attempted a smile. "Yeah, she's my new best friend too." He wasn't about to tell these _peasants_ that she was his _only _best friend.

"Hey Zuko, this is my brother Sokka, he's six too!" Katara's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Zuko looked Sokka over, Sokka looked a bit weird, and Zuko thought that he felt a little better being Katara's friend, she could protect him from the weirdoes. "Um… Hi, Sokka," he said.

Katara ran over to an old lady. "Grangran, can Zuko and his mom stay at our igloo tonight? You are going to live in the village aren't you?" she added to Zuko.

"Of course" Zuko and Grangran said in unison.

Katara burst out in giggles.

* * *

_Now where did his mom go? _Katara thought to herself. _Aha! There she is!_

"Mrs. Zuko's mom, my Grangran agreed that you can stay at our igloo tonight while you get ready for your own." Katara called out.

* * *

"Wow" Ursa looked surprised at the Water Tribe's hospitality. "Thanks, and my name is Ursa by the way."

"Follow me; our igloo is right over here. It was the only one left standing before The War of Frozen Flames. The rest of the grand igloos were melted or smashed to pieces. Ours, thankfully, only had a hole as big as a penguin melted in the side, easy enough to fix." Katara explained.

"This war, was it recent?" inquired Ursa.

"Very, it happened but a week ago," answered Katara. "It was against the Fire Nation, when they invaded they slayed my mother. Well actually they mortally wounded her and she died overnight of blood loss and when her blood froze in her veins."

"I'm so sorry for your loss Katara, I hope that never happens again" Ursa said, putting a comforting hand on the little girl's back.

* * *

Zuko listened to all this with an astonished expression on his face. _The Fire Nation couldn't be _that_ cruel, could they?_ He mused.

They came to the icy igloo and he stared at it, never having seen anything of the like before. Katara pulled back a slab of ice with a knob of some sort on it and entered the igloo. Ursa and Zuko followed behind her, not expecting it when the temperatures rose considerably inside the icy structure.

"Wow," Zuko exclaimed. "It's warmer than outside in here!"

Katara looked at him strangely, "Of course it is, haven't you been inside an igloo before?"

"Actually," explained Ursa, "he hasn't. He was born by the equator where there are no igloos. People there live in sod, wooden, metal, or stone houses. It's not cold enough to have an igloo, or even for it to snow."

* * *

_A whole land without snow or igloos,_ Katara mused,_ I want to see that place someday!_

Katara brought them to a spare room in the six roomed igloo and took some blankets and pillows out of the whalebone linen cabinet, giving them to Ursa. "Here is your bedding. The south wall is closest to the stone chimney so it is the warmest. The south wall is also made of stone so that it doesn't melt when it gets warm!" Katara giggled.

While Zuko and his mother headed back toward their temporary room to set up their beds, Katara went outside to watch the celestial lights. The Water Tribe had a legend that told how the lights came to be that her mother had told her many times as a bedtime story, she recalled it.

_Once upon a time there lived a Fire Nation peasant and a Water Tribe princess. He met her one morning when he came to get water from a stream. She was there, practicing her bending, the ghost of a smile on her perfect face. _

_Then she saw him "Who are you?" She asked. _

"_My name is Zulu," He answered. "Who might you be, beautiful lady?"_

"_I am princess Jaina of the Southern Water Tribe." She answered. _

"_I am but a Fire Nation Peasant" said Zulu._

_**Neither of them knew it, but each was in love with the other for Zulu was handsome and Jaina was beautiful.**_

"_I have to go, but I really like you" they both said unison. "You do?" They both said again._

_**Both of them knew that they could never be together because of the feud between the two nations. They met there thrice more and on the third time…**_

"_I love you so much, but my folks are getting suspicious about me going here every day. My parents would become horrified if they found that I was meeting you here." Jaina told him._

"_My folks are getting a little suspicious too and this is the last time I can meet you. I'm sorry." Zulu said back._

_They departed with a kiss and went to their separate homes, never to meet again, or so they thought…_

_**The fire spirit and the moon spirit visited the princess and the peasant in their dreams and asked if they would give up their lives on earth to be with the one they loved. They both answered yes and suddenly their beds were empty. **_

_They found that they were in a swirly ribbon of colors high above the South Pole. They giggled with glee and found that they were spirits, the spirits of the celestial lights._

Katara sighed at the romantic story and saw that it was getting really late. She returned to her igloo to find that all her family had already gone asleep.

There were a lot of sick people sleeping in her room so she took a blanket and a pillow from the linen cabinet and went into the room that Zuko was sharing with his mother. She settled down in the far corner, snuggled deep into her blankets and sighed softly as sleep overtook her.

* * *

**Review please cuz I'm not posting again till I get 6 reviews! BTW check out my profile I have a link to one of the best watch-avatar-online-free sites!**

* * *


	5. Sokka's Best Friend

**I'm sorry about the delay I had a total writers block and I couldn't think of anything! I cant think of a title for this chapter yet so it will be called Chapter 5 for now. Please review if you have an idea for the title!**

**-Saphire Moon Maiden**

Zuko awoke with the sunrise to find Katara asleep, covered in a blue and white blanket. He was surprised to see her sleeping in his room, but found that he was lucky that she was the _only _other person other than him and his mother in their small room. The house was packed!

Sick people were in all of the rooms except for two, the room that Grangran, Sokka and Katara's dad slept in, and the room that Zuko, Ursa, and Katara were sleeping in.

Katara began to stir and she slowly awoke. Walking to the door she turned, "Mornin' Zuko," she called out to him in a half-yawn.

* * *

Katara continued out of the room and went to the stone-rimmed fire pit outside the igloo.

She took down a frozen chunk of meat and put it on a skewer over the fire to thaw. Her Aunt Aileen came over to help her with her cooking. Katara's aunt had been teaching her to cook for as long as she could remember.

Aileen took out some seasoning imported from the earth kingdom in a glass jar and put it on one of the wider, flatter stones. Soon the piece of meat was thawed and the juices were dripping into the fire.

"Mmm, What is that smell? It smells like… FOOD!" Sokka walked out of the igloo.

"Sokka, it's _uncooked _food" Katara told her crazy older brother, rolling her eyes.

"And your point is?" Sokka said, persistent.

"You could get _sick _or _ill _and you would have to drink bitter herbs to get better and eat jelly made from fish eyes and you _know _how bad that tastes." Katara answered him.

"Aww… Katara, I'm just hungry is all" Sokka whined.

"You're always hungry" Katara muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, never mind"

Katara continued cooking the slab of red penguin meat while Sokka stared at it, drooling longingly.

* * *

Zuko suddenly walked out of the igloo and saw the fire. He was entranced by the flames and stared persistently into the core of the bright fire.

_A young man stood on the rocky ground of a cliff. People who looked unfriendly stared menacingly at him with crude weapons in their calloused pale hands. Suddenly he heard a girl's voice that was practically dripping venom, "Well, well, well, look who we have here! So you finally got cornered?" _He didn't hear the rest of her speech because Katara's voice slapped him out of his vision and back to reality.

* * *

Katara watched Zuko come out of the igloo and suddenly flames danced in his eyes and he started staring, mesmerized into the cook-fire.

"Zuko?" she got up and waved a hand in his face.

He shook his head as if to clear his mind of strange happenings and grunted "wha?"

"You were staring into the flames and looked like you were in another world!"

"Oh… well that's weird!" Zuko said. He looked convincing enough so Katara got off his case.

Soon Ty-Lee, Sokka's bestest best friend walked over to the fire. "What are you cooking Katara?" She asked. "Can I help?

"Sure Ty-Lee, you can help me season the penguin steak!" Katara answered.

* * *

Over breakfast, Katara thought about how Ty-Lee got to the Southern Water Tribe. Ty-Lee was the only adopted child in the whole tribe. She was really too young to remember her arrival because she was just a baby. Katara's mother had told her the story once - or was it twice? - Beside the campfire in the dark of night.

_A baby floated on the waves, drifting slowly in the general direction of the Southern Water Tribe. The cradle was a small canoe, braced with metal ribs and softened by fluffy blankets. _

_A small boy noticed her bobbing up and down, up and down, and got into his two person canoe. He sailed out to find what was in the little canoe and brave Hanja gasped audibly when he saw the baby nestled deep in the blankets._

_He seized the mini canoe out of the foamy white water and placed it in his own larger one. He sat there a while and thought of how she could have gotten so close to the ice in her small cradle-canoe. _

_The weather was rough and freezing so she had defiantly not floated all the way from an island or another nation's mainland. He guessed that a ship off-coast of the South Pole dropped her off in the canoe, hoping that she would float to the tribe and be picked up by someone like him._

_She looked tired so he brought her to his mother. Yuina instantly fell in love with the baby and squealed "Oooh! Can we keep her?"_

_The baby peered up at Yuina through big, brownish-gray eyes and said "Mammy!" at the point, a golden bracelet was uncovered by her shifting and Yuina looked at it._

"_Ty-Lee" the engraving said. _

"_Your name must be Ty-Lee!" Yuina squealed again. "I'm going to be your new Mommy!" she exclaimed._

Katara finished her breakfast and took Zuko by the hand. "C'mon Zuko! I'll show you my secret treasure cave!"

* * *

Ursa and Hakoda watched them run off into the icy tundra and shook their heads.

"It's like they've known each other forever!" Hakoda observed.

"Yeah, like they've know each other forever…" Ursa agreed.

**Review please!**


	6. Candle Cavern

This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her

Katara and Zuko ran along a never-ending length of huge ice mountains.

"Are. We. Al. most. There?" Zuko panted.

"It's just another mountain over!" Katara said, not out of breath in the least.

"Do. You. Do. This. Every. Day?" Zuko asked.

"Pretty much!" Katara answered brightly.

They came to a small opening in a tall, icy mountain.

"Here it is!" Katara exclaimed.

"Finally!" Zuko breathed.

They walked into the yawning maw of the ice cave, holding hands.

"There's nothing here!" Zuko complained, looking around the dark depths for something other than ice to glint brightly in the faint light from the small hole in the top of the cave.

"Ah, but look again!" Katara pulled back a slab of ice that blended in with the rest of the wall and a small, narrow tunnel stretched out before them.

"Wow! How did you know that was there?" Zuko asked.

"My father dug it out and carved the slab of ice to cover the hole and look like part of the wall." Katara answered. "C'mon I want to show you it!"

Katara pushed Zuko into the hole and got behind him. "Well, get going then!"

Zuko started down the narrow tunnel and looked behind him – just to be met nose to nose by Katara. Zuko turned cherry red, a color that starkly contrasted with his pale skin, and turned to face the other end of the tunnel once more.

Makeshiftlinebreakmakeshiftlinebreakmakeshiftlinebreakmakeshiftlinebreak.

As they neared the end of the icy hall, Katara heard the unmistakable sound of a small stream. Zuko had noticed it too; Katara had felt him move forward more quickly and saw him cock his head in the faint light. She stayed right at his heels all the way through.

When the tunnel ended, Zuko gaped.

"Zuko," Katara said through gritted teeth, "Can you like move? It's like kind of cramped here."

"Oh, sure," Zuko said, shifting his body to the side of the hole where they had came from.

"Zuko, look at this!" Katara exclaimed pulling him over to a stalagmite in the middle of the cavern. There was an indent that went almost all the way through the stalagmite, almost like a shelf.

Out of the little shelf she pulled a large blue-tinted conch shell. A tusk carved in the shape of a howling wolf came next, the wolf was so detailed that one could see each individual hair in its fur. Next out was a doll made of a penguin's hide with eyes and other facial features drawn on in squid ink. After that came an unlit candle that she placed on the top of the stalagmite and lit with a spark made from two stones that she clacked together. Last was a white sash and a pair of boots made of seal hide and lined inside with the fur of an arctic hare.

"These are my treasures," Katara informed him. "The boots and sash used to be my mother's. I miss her."

"They are all very beautiful" Zuko said. "I bet your mother was beautiful too."

"She was…" Katara said, remembering.

The steady trickle of water in the cave was too much for her. "Zuko, can you keep a secret?" She asked.

"Yes."

"I'm a waterbender." With that Katara raised her hand and a small stream of water slithered like a snake out of the small stream in the cave.

"Wow, you're a strong water bender for one your age." Zuko said, right eye wide. (his left eye was squinty, remember, he has a scar!)

"I am?"

"Yeah"

"Thanks Zuko!" she hugged him.

"Umm, ok" He hugged her back, hesitantly.

"Let's get out of this cave and start home ok?" Katara said, breaking the awkward hug.

"Ok" Zuko said.

"This cave has a name Zuko, I call it Candle Cavern. From the candle that supplies most of the light. Fire is pretty, don't you think Zuko?"

"I, I guess so…" _I can't let her know that I'm going to grow up yo be an enemy of her people, a firebender, I have to act like fire is weird and I want nothing to do with it. I wish I could tell her, she's a waterbender… A bender like I will be… I can't tell her! She won't understand… I… I…_

_You what?_

_Shut up conscience. _

_Why do I have to listen to you?_

_Why do __**I **__have to listen to __**You**__?_

_Scarface_

_Spacecase_

_Shut up! _

_You Nut!_

**(A/N Yay! It rhymes!)**

Makeshiftlinebreakmakeshiftlinebreakmakeshiftlinebreakmakeshiftlinebreak.

Zuko's amber eyes went all cloudy and faded. His expression went from uneasy to angry. Katara could see that he was arguing with himself within himself.

"ZUKO! WAKE UP!" Katara yelled.

"Wha? Was I asleep?"

"No. I just wanted to say that. You were actually in a kind of trance, arguing with yourself most likely."

Zuko slapped himself in the forehead, leaving a red mark. "I'm such an idiot."

"Yes you are."

"Hey!"

"I was just kidding!" Katara giggled.

"Girls…" Zuko mumbled under his breath.

They ran back to the village, Zuko lagging behind, Katara slowing to let him catch up.

**Hey everybody! Sorry about the long gap in the posting! Thanks to all you who reviewed! #1 reviewer goes to **AvatarAiris** for great long reviews and for being faithful and reviewing all the way! Yay **AvatarAiris**! –Hands **AvatarAiris  
**a large homemade cookie- Here you go! In fact everyone take a cookie! –Puts out a big plate of giant cookies- Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and all who haven't (but I like it more if you review! I made a new Zutara One-Shot! Bit of a spoiler if you haven't seen The Western Airtemple or the Firebending Masters. But still… Read it! And Review it! Please? D My first Oneshot.**


	7. Zuko's Vow

This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her

Zuko was sitting on a woven carpet that was made by Katara and Ursa, his mother. Alone but for the stalactites and stalagmites in Candle Cavern, Zuko mused. _Four years have passed since Katara first brought me to this cave. This secret place has been a great comfort to me all these years…A place where I can whisper my worries and secrets aloud. This cave knows all my secrets. This cave is where I did my first firebending. _

_Firebending is both a curse and a blessing to me. That is, a curse because firebenders killed Katara's mother, and gave me, gave me my burn scar, and a blessing for warmth in the cold north, it is both a valuable secret, and dangerous weapon. _

_If only I could be accepted as a firebender in the water tribe. If only I, Zuko could tell them of my true heritage, that of a prince, banished. Though I know I could still be accepted back to the fire nation, I could say that I was kidnapped and now I am free. I couldn't abandon my best friend though, Katara…Now that I know my father is evil I refuse to return. I'll protect this tribe and Katara with my life. _

"I swear. I will protect this tribe and Katara from harm for as long as I live." Zuko stated. Then, to make it so that it was final, he took an ice shard and made a design of cuts on his arm that resembled a tiny flame in the midst of thousands of droplets of water. It would become a scar, his to bear for an eternity. Whenever he saw it he would remember his vow and have renewed strength in his limbs to fight for the water tribe and Katara's freedom.

**Sorry for such a short chapter! I just had to make widdle Zuzu vow to protect Katara with his life… Again, SORRY!**

**-Saphire Moon Maiden**


	8. Farewell Hakoda

This story is about what would have happened to Zuko if, when his mother was banished, she took him with her

Katara saw Zuko trudge wearily through the deep snow. "Zuko! Where you been?"

Katara called toward him.

"Candle Cavern," Zuko called back.

Katara saw a linen bandage on his left arm. It had drops of blood that had soaked through. "What happened Zuko?" Katara cried.

"I cut myself on an ice shard." He said, thinking all the while; _That isn't really lying because I did, sort of._

"You should see a healer." Katara told him with her hands on her hips.

"No," Zuko said, hiding his panic inside. _What if they healed the scar too!? _"I'll live."

--

Katara looked at him and rolled her eyes; _what a weird guy. Wait!_ "He's a guy!" She said the last part aloud by accident and Zuko looked at her strangely.

"Who?" asked Zuko.

"You silly!" Katara giggled.

"Umm…" He started, "I know I am, and so should you by now, we've known each other for four years for goodness sakes! The real question here is why you squealed it like a total, prissy, idiotic, strange, Ty-Lee-Like, girly girl."

"Because I just remembered that a ball is being held tonight in my father's honor, he and his men are going to set out in ships to help bring an end to this war. I want to invite you as my partner, everybody has to have one if they want to attend. Sokka's going with Ty Lee, so I can't go with him… I want to go with you because you're my bestest best friend." Katara told him with one of her ever-present grins on her tanned face.

"Okay, I'll go. Just as long as I don't have to dress up." Zuko added stubbornly.

Katara just gave him a hug and ran off giggling with glee.

--

Zuko stood in the garden of ice and stone and waited on a bench for Katara. He was in a bad mood. A _really _bad mood. He had had to dress up in a too-warm thick suit made out of animal furs.

_Typical Zuko, it's a party. _His conscience was sneaking up on him again.

_It's too hot!_

_You could always put a handful of snow down your back._

_That would wet my suit! _

_Darn. I wanted you to __**not **__figure that out so it would seem like you wet._

_Why you!_

_Shh. She's coming._

Zuko looked up, there she was. She was smiling at him so happily that he smiled too. He rarely smiled. She was the only one other than his mother that could make his features twist and squirm in joy and create a genuine smile.

She was wearing a small gown that had little edges of soft penguin down. She had frozen a loose necklace of ice and she was wearing it around her neck along with her mother's necklace.

Zuko politely took her arm and brought her into the chief's hut - her own hut actually – just as the music started. Neither of them were very good dancers and they stumbled on each other's feet a lot, but it was still fun. All too soon the music stopped and they were sent their separate ways. Katara watched Zuko exit her house and cried. Her father was leaving her alone with Grangran and Sokka. She didn't know when she would see him again, or if she'd _ever_ see him once more after he left.

--

"Goodbye sweet Katara. Take care of the tribe and help protect it from the evil that lurks in the fire nation." Hakoda told his daughter, kissing her forehead while holding back the tears threatening to pour out of his eyes in buckets.

"Farewell strong Sokka, teach the younger of the tribe what I taught you. Remember, fight, and don't lose your boomerang, it is your best weapon. I taught you well." He smiled sadly as he embraced his son like a warrior.

"And Zuko. You have grown up alongside my children like a second son. In my eyes you are that, so I leave you to defend the tribe and train new warriors." He shook Zuko's hand and looked into his eyes. "I'm trusting you on this, don't let me down."

"I won't. I am honored that you think of me as your own son, may the spirits give you courage and strength on your journey." Zuko bowed his head as he started to let silent tears fall.

Turning to speak to all of them he said "Though you are young now, you will grow to see your paths. Use your hearts and choose the right ones. My children I leave you now but remember, as long as there is a moon in the sky I am with you. For is it not true that when one looks up at the moon, someone else halfway around the world could see the same moon and they would be watched over by their family? It is true with us. Farewell my good children, may we meet again another day, perhaps." Then he walked away onto the boat waiting expectantly behind him.

As it set off Hakoda let the tears fall unashamed. "Farewell Zuko, Katara, Sokka. I do this for you, and my wife who is long passed away. Zuko, you never knew her but she was a kind person, like Katara. She had such a strong will and heart. I'm surprised she wasn't a bender. Or was she? I never knew." When the South Pole was no longer visible, he retreated below deck to plan. To plan his revenge.


End file.
